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6 

CARNEGIE 


PATH  TO  PEACE  UPON  THE  SEAS 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THE    PATH    TO    PEACE 


UPON   THE   SEAS. 


BY 


ANDREW  CARNEGIE. 


THE  PEACE  SOCIETY, 
47,  NEW  BROAD  STREET,  LONDON,  E.G. 


1909. 


THE  PATH    TO   PEACE 


UPON   THE   SEAS.   ,, 


,      1 

ANDREW  CARNEGIE. 


THE  PEACE  SOCIETY, 

47,  NEW  BROAD  STREET,  LONDON,  E.G. 

1909. 


1  mxm 


lERJHEM 

'    Sica 


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CLifTOf*  W0U5E. 


THE 

PATH  TO  PEACE  UPON  THE  SEAS. 


BY 


ANDREW  CARNEGIE. 

0      0      0 

Reprinted  from   the    London   Times,   of  June   igth,    1909, 

{Slightly  Re-vised.) 
0       0       0 

OUR  New  York  Correspondent  advised 
you  by  wire  of  the  proceedings  of 
meetings  of  the  Peace  Societies  of  New 
York  and  Chicago,  which  called  upon 
our  President  to  exert  his  influence  for  Peace 
and  "especially  to  secure  an  Agreement  among 
the  Powers  for  a  speedy  arrest  of  the  ruinous 
competition  of  armaments  now  prevailing." 

The  New  York  meeting  suggested  his  inviting 
a  Conference  of  the  Powers,  which  I,  as  President 
of  the  Society,  approved,  but  I  am  bound  to  say 
that  subsequent  travel  in  Europe  has  modified 
my  views.  It  is  not  from  America,  but  from 
Britain,  such  invitation  should  come. 

Wherever  one  travels  upon  the  Continent  to- 
day,   the   chief    subject   of    conversation   among 

3 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE. 

intelligent  men  is  the  British  Dreadnought  and 
its  consequences.  Dreadnoughts  might,  and 
probably  would,  have  been  introduced  sooner  or 
later  by  another  nation  than  Britain,  but,  unfor- 
tunately for  her,  they  were  not.  It  is  the  British 
Dreadnought  the  people  hear  of  in  other  countries, 
and  she  alone  is  blamed  for  the  serious  conse- 
quences following  upon  its  introduction. 

There  seems  no  possibility  of  preventing  the 
other  naval  Powers  from  following  the  example 
of  Britain  and  Germany,  and  although  our 
industrial  Republic  has  nothing  to  covet,  and  has 
repeatedly  refused  to  give  the  Executive  more 
than  one-half  the  battleships  demanded,  it  may 
be  impossible  to  prevent  even  her  from  increasing 
her  fleet  rapidly  like  the  others.  Thus  no  Power 
will  gain  much  in  naval  strength  over  another, 
for  relatively  their  positions  will  remain  substan- 
tially as  before.  These  enlarged  navies,  instead 
of  tending  to  ensure  Peace,  will  increase  the 
danger  of  war. 

What  a  strange  spectacle  the  naval  Powers 
present  to-day  ?  Go  where  one  will,  he  hears  the 
men  in  power  lamenting  the  necessity  forced 
upon  them  for  increasing  armaments,  one  after 
the  other  explaining  that  they  must  increase  their 
navy,  and  this  only  for  "  protection." 

4 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE. 

The  Emperor  of  Germany  and  Prince  von 
Buelow  urge  nothing  for  their  increased  arma- 
ments except  "  protection "  for  their  commerce 
and  their  coasts. 

The  former  has  just  made  this  remarkable 
statement : — 

"His  Majesty  the  Emperor  and  I  are  agreed 
that  our  meeting  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  powerful 
confirmation  of  Peace.  (Loud  cheers.)  We  feel 
ourselves,  as  Monarchs,  responsible  to  our  God 
for  the  weal  and  w^oe  of  our  peoples,  whom  we 
desire  to  lead  on  so  far  as  possible  upon  the  path 
of  Peace  and  to  raise  to  prosperity.  All  peoples 
need  Peace  in  order,  under  its  protection,  to  be 
able  to  devote  themselves  to  the  great  tasks  of 
civilisation,  and  to  their  economic  and  commercial 
development.  Both  of  us,  therefore,  will  always 
strive,  as  far  as  lies  in  our  power,  and  with  the 
help  of  God,  to  promote  and  preserve  Peace." 

Prince  von  Buelow  addressed  the  following 
message  to  the  British  ministers  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace : — 

"  I  sincerely  hope  that  our  guests  and  Christian 
brethren  will  bring  the  conviction  home  and 
publish  the  fact  that  there  is  living  on  this  side 
of  the  North  Sea  a  peaceful  and  laborious  people 
which  heartily  desires,  as  well  as  its  Government, 

5 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE. 

to  live  peacefully  in  friendship  and  neighbourliness 
with  its  brethren  beyond  the  Channel." 

Not  a  voice  is  raised  in  Britain  except  for 
needed  protection  from  assault.  So  with  the 
good  men  of  France.  So  with  Austria  and  Italy. 
So  with  President  Taft,  who  recently  wrote  :• — 

"  The  policy  of  the  United  States  in  avoiding 
war  under  all  circumstances,  except  those  plainly 
inconsistent  with  honour  or  its  highest  welfare, 
has  been  made  so  clear  to  the  world  as  hardly  to 
need  statement  at  my  hands.  I  can  only  say  that 
so  far  as  my  legitimate  influence  extends  while 
at  the  head  of  this  Government,  it  will  always  be 
exerted  to  the  full  in  favour  of  Peace,  not  only  as 
between  this  country  and  other  countries,  hut  as 
between  our  sister  stations T    [Italics  are  mine.] 

One  leader  is  more  insistent  than  another  that 
his  country's  aim  is  to  secure  Peace — the  only  end 
it  has  in  view.  If  this  be  untrue,  there  is  not  an 
Emperor,  King,  President,  nor  Prime  Minister  in 
the  world  to-day  who  does  not  perjure  himself 
every  now  and  then,  protesting  that  his  country 
desires  nothing  but  to  live  in  neighbourly  friend- 
ship with  all  others. 

Are  these  public  men,  who  have  risen  to 
eminence  and  enjoy  the  confidence  of  their  fellow- 
countrymen,  perjuring  themselves  ?     No  ;  far  from 

6 


THE   PATH  TO  PEACE. 

this,  they  speak  the  sober  truth  from  the  heart. 
They  feel  what  they  utter.  The  desire  for  Peace 
is  genuine.  "  Give  us  Peace  in  our  time,  O  Lord," 
is  the  prayer  of  civilized  nations  and  rulers. 
Ambassador  Bryce,  speaking  at  the  Peace  Con- 
ference in  America,  corroborates  this.    He  says  : — 

"  Every  nation  is  conscious  of  its  own  rectitude 
of  purpose,  and  believes  its  armaments  are  for  its 
own  safety  and  will  not  be  used  aggressively." 

This  being  accepted,  unfounded  suspicion  must 
be  the  root  of  all  this  trouble.  Every  additional 
battleship  tends  to  convert  suspicion  in  neigh- 
bouring nations  into  hatred,  and  then  a  misinter- 
preted word,  movement,  or  accident,  which  would 
otherwise  have  been  easily  explained,  becomes  the 
cause  of  war,  which  usually  arises,  not  directly 
from  the  possession  of  armaments  by  a  nation, 
but  from  the  suspicions  aroused  in  neighbouring 
nations  by  these  having  been  created.  Hence  the 
impossibility  of  increased  armaments  ever  being 
conducive  to  Peace.  Suspicion,  fear,  hatred,  and 
thus  the  danger  of  war,  increase  in  compound 
ratio  as  armaments  increase.) 

It  is  the  old  story.  Two  neighbours  have  a 
slight  misunderstanding  which  mutual  explana- 
tions would  readily  have  dispelled,  but  one,  in  an 
unguarded  moment,  says  to  the  other,  "  Til  make 

7 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE. 

you  behave  like  a  g-entleman."  "  You  can't  do  it," 
is  the  ready  response.  One  decides  to  buy  a 
pistol,  not  for  use,  but  solely  for  "  protection  "  if 
attacked.  Hearing  this,  the  other  feels  he  must 
have  "protection"  also.  The  first  substitutes  a 
six-chambered  revolver  just  to  be  dead  certain  of 
protection.  The  other  follows,  just  to  be  dead 
certain  also.  If  the  insurance  company  knew  of 
this  misunderstanding  the  life  premiums  of  these 
two  citizens  would  rise  in  geometrical  progression 
with  each  added  weapon.  Fortunately  the  law  in 
civilized  nations,  founded  upon  experience  that  a 
hundred  deadly  feuds  occur  where  men  go  armed 
to  one  where  this  is  prohibited,  steps  in  and 
prohibits  private  armaments  and  punishes  the 
law-breakers.  Britain  and  France  played  the  part 
of  the  foolish  neighbours  fifty  years  ago.  To-day 
it  is  Britain  and  Germany. 

Nearly  a  century  ago  (1817)  Canada  and 
America  agreed  that  upon  the  inland  seas,  which 
constitute  their  boundary  for  hundreds  of  miles, 
each  should  place  one  100-ton  vessel  armed  with 
one  28-pounder.  The  tiny  craft,  one  flying  the 
Union  Jack  and  the  other  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
have  never  fired  a  shot  except  in  friendly  salute 
to  each  other,  and  unbroken  peace  has  been  pre- 
served.    If  the  world  had  its  police  force  on  the 

8 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE. 

seas,  there  would  be  the  "  protection  from  assault  " 
which  each  naval  Power  declares  it  only  desires 
and  is  increasing  its  navy  solely  to  ensure.  There 
would  remain  no  enemy  from  whom  "  protection  " 
was  needed.  Commerce  would  be  immune.  The 
naval  nations  would  be  as  one  in  friendly  alliance. 
Our  English-speaking  race  has  developed 
Parliamentary  government,  abolished  the  last 
vestige  of  human  slavery  from  civilized  lands, 
was  first  to  abolish  private  war  between  men,  and 
was  also  prominent  in  abolishing  piracy  upon  the 
seas.  Why  should  Britain,  as  the  foremost 
naval  Power  and  the  Motherland  of  our  race, 
hesitate  to  invite  the  other  naval  Powers  to 
confer  with  a  view  to  Peace,  and,  as  one  means  of 
securing  it,  suggest  they  combine  in  abolishing 
war  upon  the  seas,  following  the  British-American 
example.  Let  this  be  freely  discussed  with  other 
suggestions.  There  is  nothing  startling  or  new 
in  this  plan.  It  would  follow  a  highly-successful 
precedent  covering  a  century.  Three  or  four 
Powers  could  be  named  which,  united  to-day  to 
ensure  Peace  upon  the  seas,  would  be  sufficient, 
but  many  more  would  respond  to  Britain's  call. 
Surely  few,  if  any,  would  decline.  Why  should 
they  ?  How  could  they,  their  aim  being  Peace, 
as  they  all  proclaim  ?     Those  who  declined  would 

9 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE. 

reveal  themselves  the  enemies  of  mankind.  The 
peaceful  Powers  accepting  might  so  greatly  pre- 
ponderate as  to  see  their  way  to  maintain  Peace, 
and  ships  of  war,  except  the  few  needed  for  police 
duty,  would  rust  as  being  unneeded,  as  they  have 
long  been  and  are  to-day  upon  the  inland  seas  of 
North  America.  No  nation  would  commit  itself 
to  anything  by  accepting  an  invitation  to  confer. 
Any  action  taken  could  be  made  subject  to 
ratification  by  the  Governments. 

So  easy  the  solution  seems  that  to  many  it 
may  appear  unworthy  of  consideration,  but  great 
crises  have  usually  easy  solutions  because,  being 
the  product  of  grave  mistakes  or  great  wrongs, 
total  reversal  of  the  policy  pursued  is  the  sure 
key  that  unlocks  the  door.  Here  is  the  key  to 
the  present  situation.  There  is  nothing  specula- 
tive about  this  proved  solution  of  the  very 
question  which  disturbs  the  nations  to-day. 
Though  it  may  be  rejected,  the  day  will  never- 
theless come,  and  that  I  believe  soon,  when  this 
stone  which  the  builders  reject  shall  become  the 
head  of  the  corner.  It  has  proved  itself  the 
panacea  for  war  upon  the   seas. 

Has  our  race  lost  the  breed  of  great  statesmen, 
or  is  there  to-day  a  Prime  Minister  and  Cabinet  in 
Britain  composed  of  men  who  dare  be  great  and 

ID 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE.. 

thus  lead  the  nations  out  of  bondage  to  the  false 
god  of  war,  becoming  the  foremost  body  of  states- 
men of  all  time  by  having  rendered  mankind  the 
greatest  service,  or  is  such  an  invitation  to  the 
Powers  to  be  the  beneficent  act  of  others  more 
zealous  in  the  cause  of  Peace  ? 

Even  to  attempt  and  fail  for  the  time  in  such  a 
cause  would  give  to  the  participants  lasting  place 
among  those  whom  coming  generations  are  to 
hold  in  honour. 

The  policy  of  conciliation  pursued  by  Britain 
has  recently  proved  its  claims  to  favour  by 
brilliant  successes,  both  in  South  Africa  and 
India.  She  is  entitled  to  adopt  as  her  motto, 
and  none  is  so  well  adapted  to  the  present  crisis, 
"  First  all  means  to  conciliate."  Britain  has  also 
won  favour  in  other  lands  by  the  calm,  firm 
moderation  displayed  by  her  Government,  and  its 
refusal  to  be  stampeded  into  unnecessary 
armaments,  which  would  only  add  fuel  to  the 
flame  abroad,  when  for  years  to  come  its  naval 
supremacy  is  perfectly  secure.  It  has  avoided 
bluster  and  maintained  a  dignified  reserve. 

Mr.  Editor,  in  all  truth  and  soberness  it 
should  no  longer  be  permissible  for  any  two 
Powers  in  jealous  rivalry  to  build  Dreadnoughts 
contingent  upon  what  each  other  may  do,  thus 

II 


THE  PATH  TO  PEACE. 

compelling  all  other  naval  Powers  to  follow  their 
ruinous  and,  in  this  the  twentieth  century, 
saddening  example,  or  to  become  defenceless. 

This  is  no  mere  German-British  affair.  It  is  a 
world-wide  issue,  and  the  next  step,  momentous 
as  it  may  prove  for  good  or  evil,  is  apparently  for 
Britain  to  take,  as  the  inventor  and  first  adopter 
of  the  Dreadnought. 

Whatever  the  final  result,  if  Britain  played  the 
part  of  Peacemaker  as  suggested,  she  would  have 
the  moral  support  of  the  enlightened  public 
sentiment  of  the  world  with  her,  a  tower  of 
strength.  If  repulsed,  she  would  have  her  "quarrel 
just."  It  is  not  for  any  non-citizen  to  advise — 
she  will  choose  her  own  path ;  certain  it  is, 
however,  she  could  play  no  nobler  part,  nor  one 
that  would  redound  in  history  more  to  her  honour 
and  glory,  illustrious  as  that  history  is,  for  hence- 
forth it  is  the  triumphs  of  Peace  through 
conciliation,  not  those  of  brutal  war  through  the 
slaughter  of  our  fellow  men,  that  are  to  make 
nations  venerated  in  after  ages. 

I  write  as  one  who  loves  his  native  land. 


12 


SUPPLEMENT. 

0       0       0 

The  following  reference  to  the  preceding  letter 
was  made  in  a  leader  of  the  same  date.  "  Mr. 
Andrew  Carnegie,  whose  letter  we  publish  to-day, 
even  thinks  the  present  a  favourable  moment  to 
propose  that  Great  Britain  should  invite  the 
other  Powers  to  agree  to  abolish  naval  warfare. 
He  forgets  that  the  suggestions  our  Government 
have  made  before  with  a  view  to  a  mutual 
limitation  of  naval  armaments  met  with  no 
response,  and  he  makes  no  proposal  with  regard 
to  land  warfare.  We  are  apparently  to  scrap  our 
Navy  and  thus  lay  down  our  most  formidable 
weapon,  v/hile  the  great  military  Powers  retain 
their  armies  intact.  This  country  is  not  in  the 
least  danger  of  being  infected  with  any  evil  spirit 
of  militarism,  but  it  is  even  less  disposed  to 
shrink  from  any  sacrifices  which  may  be 
necessary,  in  the  present  state  of  Europe,  to 
maintain  its  naval  supremacy  unimpaired." 

The  Times  of  Saturday,  3rd  July,  1909, 
publishes  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  Andrew 
Carnegie  : — 

The  only  objection  one  has  to  "  taking  in " 
The  Times  is  that  he  has  to  spend  so  much 
time  upon  it  or  miss  so  much  that  is  of  value. 
I  missed  your  editorial  comment  upon  the  letter 

13 


SUPPLEMENT. 

you  did  me  the  honour  to  publish  until  yester- 
day, when  my  attention  was  called  to  it. 

Of  course  a  Conference,  if  called,  even  if 
dealing  with  Peace  upon  the  seas,  would  neces- 
sarily have  to  survey  the  whole  field  of  Inter- 
national relations  and  study  every  phase  of  the 
present  unfortunate  situation,  naval  and  military, 
in  every  part  and  also  as  a  whole— welcoming 
every  suggestion.  Your  presentation  of  this 
feature  of  the  case  is  unanswerable.  The 
important  matter  is  to  get  the  Powers  together. 
We  have  just  had  a  remarkable  proof  of  the 
efficacy  of  conference  in  that  of  the  eight  naval 
Powers  recently  assembled  in  London — Germany, 
Austria-Hungary,  Russia,  Italy,  France,  Japan, 
Britain,  and  America. 

It  not  only  succeeded  in  establishing  an  Inter- 
national Marine  Prize  Court  to  deal  finally  with 
all  disputes  arising  in  that  domain,  but  is  also  to 
be  credited  with  another  great  achievement.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  the  last  Hague  Con- 
ference unanimously  agreed  to  establish  a  judicial 
International  Court  comprised  of  legal  authorities 
before  which  international  disputes  might  be  laid, 
thus  securing  purely  judicial  judgments  similar 
to  those  of  our  present  national  Supreme  Courts, 
free  from  political  bias  or  compromise.    A  serious 

14 


SUPPLEMENT.       . 

obstacle  arose  in  deciding  how  this  Court  should 
be  composed,  the  smaller  Powers  claiming  equal 
representation  with  the  greatest,  which  meant  a 
bench  of  46  judges  ;  and,  besides,  the  small 
could  have  outvoted  the  Great  Powers  ;  and  the 
problem  remained  unsolved.  The  Marine  Con- 
ference solved  it  by  giving  to  each  of  the  eight 
Great  Powers  the  appointment  of  one  judge,  and 
reserving  seven  judges  to  be  hereafter  apportioned 
among  such  of  the  smaller  Powers  as  may  apply 
for  and  obtain  admission  to  the  Conference  Court, 
these  judges,  however,  to  serve  for  shorter  terms 
than  the  others,  so  that  the  small  Powers  will 
always  be  represented  in  turn.  Meanwhile  the 
eight  Great  Powers  decided  to  go  forward  without 
them,  and  the  cause  of  international  Peace  secures 
another  decisive  victory. 

Mark  the  statesmanship  here  displayed. 
Another  International  Court,  whose  judgment 
is  final,  now  graces  the  earth,  which  overrules,  if 
necessary,  the  decisions  of  the  highest  Courts  of 
any  of  the  countries.  Nor  is  this  all.  The 
problem  of  appointing  judges  having  thus  been 
solved,  the  next  Hague  Conference  may  be 
enabled  to  establish  the  International  Judicial 
Supreme  Court  of  Nations. 

Now  these  eight  are   the  very  same    Powers, 

15 


SUPPLEMENT. 

and  why  not  the  same  delegates  who  might 
meet  again  in  friendly  conference  in  London 
and  endeavour  to  come  to  such  an  agreement 
for  the  consideration  of  the  Powers  in  the  realm 
of  Peace  as  they  have  just  reached  as  fair  and 
satisfactory  to  all  in  the  hitherto  most  compli- 
cated and  unsatisfactory  realm  of  marine  prizes? 
Now  is  the  time  to  remember  the  motto — "  First 
all  means  to  conciliate."  The  nations  are 
playing  with  fire.  I  trust  the  commanding 
influence  of  the  Times  will  be  exerted  in  this 
direction. 

Much  has  been  gained  when  all  the  great  naval 
Powers  of  the  world,  European,  American,  and 
Asiatic,  unanimously  create  a  tribunal  for  the 
final  settlement  of  all  disputes  within  one  domain 
of  human  affairs.  Amid  all  the  arming  of 
nations  for  each  others'  destruction  in  true  savage 
fashion  and  ^'  the  thunder  of  the  captains  and 
shouting,"  peaceful  settlement  of  international 
disputes  makes  steady  progress  toward  civilisa- 
tion, Belgium  and  the  Netherlands  have  just 
concluded  such  a  treaty  covering  all  disputes, 
making  thirteen  nations  that  have  done  so,  five 
of  these  are  Central  American  Republics,  which 
have  created  a  Supreme  Court  to  settle  all 
disputes. 

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1 


Univers 

Sout 

Lib 


